Standard Lemma guide

puttanesca

adj · noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ˌpʊtəˈnɛskə/
  • US: /ˌputəˈnɛskə/
  • rhymes with -ɛskə

1

adj

Meaning 1

Served with puttanesca sauce.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, postpositional, usually

Examples

  • spaghetti puttanesca

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A cooking sauce made from tomato flavoured with garlic, anchovies, capers and olives, created in Naples.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian puttanesca (feminine of puttanesco, literally “whorish, sluttish”), from puttana (“whore”).